Highway?....Naaah!. Review on Highway

Looking at the multitude of good reviews this movie has generated, I am putting my neck out on the block by differing.

While the movie had an interesting concept and could have elaborated on the'Stockholm Syndrome'(a case where the kidnapped person/captive develops deep empathy with the kidnapper/captor), it chooses instead to drive on into nothingness.

Half the movie has characters alluding to'Mr. Tripathi' who it seems is all powerful in the corridors of power, but we don't even catch a glimpse of that, in any scene. When he does come on screen towards the climax, he looks no different from an indulgent rich father of a spoilt brat. While Alia has acted very well and Randeep is simmering as usual, in totality the movie lets you down as the screenplay doesn't go anywhere at all. Songs are awful, though the background score is passable.

If the director wanted to make a gritty film, whatever for did he mute out the swear words in the scene where Mahavir Bhaati(Randeep) meets with his group post the kidnapping?

Also, I would love to go for a long, meandering drive on just such a highway which is oh, so empty and devoid of any traffic/crime. Are there such roads anywhere, save in the higher mountains?

Coming back to the movie, I would have loved a tighter pace, some background scenes showing the clout of the big man, the behind the scenes action that leads upto the final confrontation- like in the movie'Hero' where the cop relentlessly chases Jackie.

Here, one sees an endless drive for two long hours and suddenly, just when you think things are settling down, bang! bang!. completely senseless. Then the sub plot of the lead characters violation by a family member. Seems to be an after thought; added on just to meet the 2.5 hrs running time. I stopped counting after 22 yawns, (my jaws still ache) though my wife loved the film. Guess tastes differ.

I rate it a minus three*, if such a thing is possible. Expected much better from a director whose'Jab We Met' is a film I still catch on reruns.

Await the backlash from fellow readers.:-)